Max Verstappen reveals in an interview with Chris Harris that he used the famous Senna quote to the stewards as an argument for his maneuvers
It’s no secret that Max Verstappen is no stranger to controversial overtaking maneuvers. Now, in a video with TV presenter Chris Harris, the four-time Formula 1 world champion reveals that he even quotes a racing legend – and not just in front of the camera, but also behind closed doors in the stewards’ office.
“If you see a gap and don’t go for it, you’re not a racing driver.” This quote from Ayrton Senna has become ingrained in the collective memory of the motorsport world.
And it’s clearly not just a quote for Instagram posts, but a very real argument that Verstappen uses in heated discussions with the race stewards. “Of course,” he replies with a laugh when asked if he has ever used this phrase in a stewards’ hearing.
Verstappen’s uncompromising driving style was once again impressively demonstrated in 2025 – for example, at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, when he took Oscar Piastri by surprise with a risky maneuver in the Tamburello chicane, securing victory for himself.
Verstappen says he trained his instinct for such opportunities from an early age with his father Jos, himself a former Formula 1 driver. In an interview with Harris, he describes the Verstappen family’s summer vacations as a veritable overtaking boot camp.
“We were constantly doing two-lap races. Starting from different positions, over and over again. My father was heavier, so he had the more powerful engine. He attacked us, defended himself, overtook us – it was always about asserting yourself,” says the 27-year-old.
For Verstappen, constantly testing limits is at the heart of racing. And the fact that he has now won four world titles with this philosophy proves his approach right. Even if he occasionally overshoots the mark, such as in Mexico in 2024 in a battle with Lando Norris, when he immediately